[Magnetic resonance imaging and lupus erythematosus of the nervous system].
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was assessed in the management of neuropsychiatric manifestations occurring in 6 SLE patients. The MRI scans were normal in 3 cases and was associated with remission of the symptoms except for a patient who experienced a chorea at the time of the examination. Abnormal MRI scans always revealed more lesions than CT scan. 2 different patterns of abnormalities seem to correspond to 2 specific disorders. In 2 patients with clinical presentation suggesting a cortical ischemia by vascular thrombosis, both MRI scans showed areas of abnormal high signal intensities located in the subcortical white matter. In one last patient, MRI scan revealed multiple focal areas of high signal intensities (on T1 weighter scans) disseminated not only in the deep white matter but also in the gray one. These lesions could be depend upon demyelinisation which may occur by a local vascular process. This serie confirm the interest of MRI in the management of SLE brain involvement as well as it points out some problem of interpretation. This suggest further comparative studies especially at the real onset and during the course of neuro-psychiatric manifestations. At last, the coronal sections may be more informative for the diagnosis and pathophysiology than the horizontal ones.
Schott
A M
AM
Service de Rhumatologie, Centre Hospitalier Lyon-Sud, Pierre-Bénite.
Colson
F
F
Tebib
J
J
Noël
E
E
Bouvier
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
Imagerie en résonance magnétique et neurolupus.